MIT’s Oldest and Largest

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Volume 127, Number 41 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Tuesday, September 25, 2007

By Nick SemenkovichNews editor

Approximately 30 students gath-ered yesterday afternoon to protest the administration’s handling of con-troversies involving students. While the majority of the protest was fo-cused on the Star A. Simpson ’10 ar-rest, the discussion also touched on administrative reactions to the sodi-um fire on the Charles River and the felony charges filed against hackers found in the MIT Faculty Club.

The protest, which took place outside of Pritchett Dining in Walker Memorial, consisted of students car-rying signs such as “Question the Media,” “Wait for the Facts,” and “Support Your Student.” Students also carried a protest letter that had been circulated across the campus.

Administrators, including Chan-cellor Phillip L. Clay PhD ’75, deans, and support staff, were in or arriving at Pritchett to attend the Chancellor’s Summit for student government lead-ers. Dean for Student Life Larry G. Benedict and Senior Associate Dean for Student Life Stephen D. Immer-man stayed to speak with the stu-dents.

Immerman said that the situation is very complex and that Simpson’s

arrest “can’t be simplified” because of the legal and safety issues in-volved. He added that concern for both Simpson and MIT need to be taken into account and that it is very difficult to deal with situations when individuals and MIT meet in con-flict. Benedict said that MIT was still learning things about the situ-

ation and that Boston was nervous, with “everybody hypersensitive these days.”

Craig B.E. Wildman G said that Benedict’s comments were “reason-able” and that he was glad Benedict spoke. Wildman, who also earned an undergraduate degree at MIT, said that he had overall mixed feelings

about MIT’s handling of controver-sies involving students but that MIT could have handled the Simpson situ-ation better.

Much of the outrage at the protest seemed to center around MIT’s state-ment that, as reported, “Simpson’s

david M. teMpletoN—the tech

Dean for Student Life Larry G. Benedict speaks with students protesting outside of Walker Memorial on Monday. The students were protesting the reaction of the MIT administration to the arrest of Star A. Simpson ’10 on Friday.

MIT Sophomore Arrested for Innocuous LED DeviceLogan Employee Spooked by Wire, 9V Battery, LEDsBy Angeline Wangeditor iN chief

Star A. Simpson ’10, wearing a circuit board that lit up and was connected to a battery, was arrested at gunpoint at Logan International Airport the morning of Friday, Sept. 21 after the device was mistaken for a bomb. Simpson was charged with possession of a hoax device and was released on $750 bail the same day; her pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 29, 2007 at 9 a.m. in East Boston District Court.

Simpson (a former tech photogra-pher) was wearing the device, which included green light-emitting diodes arranged in the shape of a star, during the Sept. 20 MIT Career Fair. Simp-son was at the airport to pick up her boyfriend who arrived at Logan Fri-day morning, said Ross E. Schreiber, the defense attorney who represented Simpson at her arraignment Friday.

Simpson approached an infor-mation booth in Logan’s Terminal C wearing the light-up device, Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Wayne Mar-golis said during Simpson’s arraign-ment. Margolis also said that Simp-son had been wearing the device for at least a few days.

She “said it was a piece of art” while at the information booth, Mar-golis said, and “refused to answer any more questions.” Jake Wark, spokes-person for the Suffolk County Dis-trict Attorney, said that Simpson only described the LED lights after she was “repeatedly questioned by the MassPort employee.” Simpson then “roamed briefly around the terminal,” Wark said. Margolis said this caused several Logan employees to flee the building.

As Simpson left the building, she disconnected the battery powering the

The WeatherToday: Sunny, breezy, and hot, 89°F (32°C)

Tonight: Clear and mild, 67°F (19°C)Tomorrow: Sunny, breezy,

and hot, 90°F (32°C)Details, Page 2

Housing Rate Increase Prompted by Utility Costs

tuNgsheN chew

In recognition of the release of Halo 3, a highly anticipated video game by Microsoft and Bungie, MIT hackers adorned the John P. Harvard statue, in Harvard Yard, with a Spartan helmet. The back of the helmet, which is worn by the protagonist of the game, Master Chief, was labeled with “Master Chief in Training.” The statue was decorated with an assault rifle (bullet count of 2E), as well as a Beaver emblem on the right shoulder.

Hollis M. LillyMit News office

Hollis M. Lilly, staff associate in the Office of Undergraduate Advis-ing and Academic Programming, died on July 28 due to complications from surgery. He was 36.

Lilly came to MIT in October 2003. In his capacity as staff to the faculty Committee on Academic Performance and as the coordinator of Advanced Placement transfer credit and UAAP sponsored study ses-sions, he worked with both faculty and students.

A resident of Somerville who grew up in Lowell, Lilly previously worked at Harvard University. He is survived by his mother, Roberta Lilly of Lowell; his brother, Jeremiah, and his sisters, Melody Barlay of Haverhill and Hope Lilly of Albany, N.Y., among many others. He was buried Aug. 4 in Tewksbury Cemetery.

John M. BuchananMit News office

John M. “Jack” Buchanan, Wilson Professor emeritus of Biology, died June 25 in Lexington, Mass. He was 89.

Buchanan devoted his life and dedicated service to MIT and to his profession. He joined the MIT faculty in 1953 as professor of biology and as director of the newly established Division of Biochemistry. He soon recruited a core group of young and senior faculty to the depart-ment, including Gene Brown, Vernon Ingram, Salvador Luria, Paul Schimmel, Phil Robbins, and Lisa Steiner. Growing from this nucleus, the Biology Department and the Biochemistry Division soon gained a reputation for being among the outstanding programs in the country.

Buchanan helped attract other leading scientists to MIT, including Cyrus Levinthal, Maurice Fox and Alexander Rich — key appoint-ments that helped boost the biology department’s international reputa-tion.

In his autobiography, the late MIT President James Killian ob-served that bringing Buchanan to MIT was among the most important

Students Take Stand Against MIT Statement

Buchanan, Page 18

Simpson, Page 22

By Danielle PiskorzUndergraduates saw a 7 percent

increase in housing rates for the 2007–2008 school year, and graduate students experienced a 3.5 percent in-crease in rates.

The sharp rise is because of pro-jected hikes in utility costs, said Peter D. Cummings, director of financial planning and management. “There was an expected 22–25 percent in-

crease in utilities,” said Cummings. Actual utility costs turned out to be lower than projections this year.

The biggest impetus for rising utility rates is natural gas prices since they are influenced by the world mar-ket, said Director of Housing Dennis Collins.

The process of deciding Housing’s budget and the rates students pay be-gins in the fall of the previous year.

Recommendations are submitted to Dean for Student Life Larry G. Benedict and combined with other departments’ budgets. The rates are finalized by Housing in February or March based on feedback from the administration.

As Housing was deciding this year’s rate, the projected utility rate hike was so large that it was consid-ered to be too burdensome for stu-

dents. As a result, Housing raised rates by 7 percent and planned to run a deficit budget, said Collins.

According to Cummings, Housing has been operating a deficit budget for the past two years. Cummings said that Housing always has a reserve of money to use in case of emergencies, and for the past two years, that money

In ShortSomerville Primary Elections

are being held today, from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. You can find your poll-ing place online at http://www.wheredoivotema.com/.

send news information and tips to news@the-tech.mit.edu.

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Small fire in Bldg. 56 . . . . . .18

MIT Kerberos software upgrades planned . . . . . . . .21

World & Nation . . . . . . . 2Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Campus Life . . . . . . . . . . 7Comics / Fun Pages . . . . 8Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Protest, Page 23

Housing, Page 17

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World & NatioN

WeatherSituation for Noon Eastern Daylight Time, Tuesday, September 25, 2007

GM Workers Strike for Job Security, Increased BenefitsBy Nick Bunkley and Mary M. ChapmanThe New York Times

PONTIAC, MICh.

They had not expected a strike this year. And when they walked out midway through the morning shift on Monday, the workers at the Gen-eral Motors pickup truck plant here had no idea how long their walkout would last.

But as they walked the picket lines, most said they knew why they were there.

“We’re fighting for our lives,” said Ed Demetrak, 5�, a 30-year GM employee. “There isn’t any of us that are making bonuses. We’re just try-ing to etch out a living for our fami-lies. We’re not rich men.”

Workers at the truck plant in Pon-tiac, about �5 miles north of Detroit, have been through this before. A few were already working for GM in 1970, the last time the United Automobile Workers union called a national strike against the automaker. Most worked there 10 years ago, when job cuts led to strikes at that plant and others.

The workers said Monday that they were trying to prepare them-selves for the possibility of spending

months out of work again, but hoped that word of a contract agreement would arrive any minute.

“The only tool we’ve got left is a strike,” said Demetrak, an employee assistance professional at the plant. “Nobody wants it; it’s not good for anybody. But it’s all we’ve got.”

Demetrak said he was disappoint-ed to find himself on a picket line, earning $�00 a week from the UAW instead of a full paycheck from GM, but he does not blame union leaders for putting him there. he and others said they had full confidence in the union’s president, Ron Gettelfinger, who compared GM’s approach at the bargaining table to being “pushed off a cliff.”

Salaried workers continued to stream in and out through the picket lines here. Around � p.m., a man driving into the plant struck a female hourly worker with his minivan, in-juring her leg.

As the woman was taken away in an ambulance, she gave co-workers a thumbs-up signal and the paramed-ics flashed a V for victory sign as they drove past. There was a kind of nervous lightheartedness in the early hours of the strike. Drivers honked

as they zipped past the factory, and several businesses down the street dropped off free pizzas and icy bot-tles of water.

“You’re never happy about a strike; neither side wins,” said Ken Gunther, 49, as he carried a picket sign that read in part, “GM doesn’t care.”

“Everybody looks pretty jovial, but we don’t want to be out here,” he said. “It’s a very nervous time right now.”

The reaction to the strike was simi-lar at GM plants and union halls across the country, as workers spent the after-noon carrying picket signs and chat-ting nervously about their future.

Any other day, Greg Kelly said he would be preparing for his evening shift at GM’s assembly plant in ham-tramck, Mich., a largely Polish com-munity surrounded by Detroit, but instead he stood on a corner facing the plant entrance holding a video camera to his eye.

“I’m recording all this for my grandchildren,” said Kelly, a �9-year GM veteran. “I don’t want them to see a news clip, I want them to see the whole thing. I want them to see what is one of the worst times in his-tory for autoworkers, it’s that bad.”

Ahmadinejad Sparks Protests, Debate Over Columbia SpeechBy Helene CooperThe New York Times

NEW YORK

he said there were no homosex-uals in Iran — not one — and that the Nazi slaughter of 6 million Jews should not be treated as fact, but the-ory, and therefore open to debate and more research.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the pres-ident of Iran, aired these and other bewildering thoughts in a two-hour verbal contest at Columbia Univer-sity on Monday, providing some am-munition to those who said there was no point in inviting him to speak. Yet his appearance also offered evidence of why he is widely admired in the developing world for his defiance to-ward Western, especially American, power.

In repeated clashes with his hosts, Ahmadinejad accused the United States of supporting terrorist groups,

and characterized as hypocritical American and European efforts to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“If you have created the fifth gener-ation of atomic bombs and are testing them already, who are you to question other people who just want nuclear power,” Ahmadinejad said, adding, pointedly: “I think the politicians who are after atomic bombs, politically, they’re backwards. Retarded.”

his speech at Columbia, in ad-vance of his planned speech on Tues-day at the United Nations, produced a day of intense protests and counter-protests around the campus.

It was a performance at once both defiant — he said Iran could not rec-ognize Israel “because it is based on ethnic discrimination, occupation and usurpation and it consistently threatens its neighbors” — and con-ciliatory — he said he wanted to visit ground zero to “show my respect” for

what he called “a tragic event.”And he said that even if the ho-

locaust did occur, the Palestinians should not pay the price for it.

he began the afternoon on the de-fensive.

Lee C. Bollinger, the president of Columbia, under intense attack for the invitation — one protester outside the auditorium passed out fliers that said, “Bollinger, too bad bin Laden is not available” — opened the event with a 10-minute verbal assault.

he said, “Mr. President, you ex-hibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator,” adding, “You are either bra-zenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated.”

The Iranian president, who was seated 10 feet away from him on the stage, wore a frozen smile. The anti-Ahmadinejad portion of the audience, which looked to be about 70 percent of it, cheered and chortled.

Congress Set for Veto Fight On Child Health Measure

By Robert Pear and Carl HulseThe New York Times

WAShINGTON

President Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress prepared Monday for a showdown over the future of health insurance for more than 10 million children.

Supporters of the legislation, which has broad bipartisan support, mobilized lobbyists — 400 from the American Cancer Society alone — and began advertising to win the votes needed to override a veto threatened by Bush. The president says the measure, which would re-new and expand the State Children’s health Insurance Program, costs too much and would be “an incremental step toward the goal of gov-ernment-run health care for every American.”

The bill would cover 4 million children, in addition to the 6.6 mil-lion already enrolled. The overwhelming majority of those on the rolls are in low-income families. The house plans to vote on the measure as early as Tuesday and the Senate is expected to pass the legislation a day or two later.

U.S. Sues Illinois to Let Employers Use Immigrant Databases

By Julia PrestonThe New York Times

The Bush administration sued the state of Illinois on Monday, hop-ing to block a new state law that bars employers from using a fed-eral database to verify that immigrant job applicants are in the United States legally and are authorized to work.

With the suit, officials said, the administration is going on the of-fensive in the courts in response to cases intended to stall a crack-down on illegal immigration that the federal authorities announced last month.

“We will vigorously contest any effort to impede our enforcement measures,” the homeland Security secretary, Michael Chertoff, said yesterday in a telephone interview.

The suit, brought by Chertoff’s department, seeks to stop Illinois from putting into effect a law that prohibits employers from enrolling in the federal worker verification database program.

The program, formerly known as Basic Pilot, was renamed E-Ver-ify last month.

Firm Seeks Approval to Build Nuclear Reactors

By Matthew L. WaldThe New York Times WAShINGTON

In a bid to take the lead in the race to revive the nuclear power industry, an energy company will ask the federal Nuclear Regula-tory Commission on Tuesday for permission to build two reactors in Texas.

It is the first time since the 1970s and the accident at Three Mile Island that an American power company has sought the right to add a nuclear plant to the existing array of operable reactors, which now number 104.

The company, NRG Energy, based in Princeton, N.J., wants to be the first to pour concrete in the main section of the plant, allowing it to qualify for the maximum federal benefits, David Crane, its chief executive, said in a telephone interview.

NRG is applying under a new process intended to avoid the exten-sive delays and cost overruns in the last round of nuclear construction. In the 1970s and ’80s, more than 100 of the first-generation reactor projects were canceled, some abandoned in late stages of construction, mostly because they no longer made financial sense.

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Some Like It HotBy Brian H. TangsTaff meTeorologisT

The first full day of autumn was yesterday, but from the many sightings of shorts and T-shirts on campus, you wouldn’t have known. Don’t put away those summer clothes yet as more heat is in store the next couple of days. Strong southwest flow will make it breezy and transport an air mass more characteristic of the middle of summer over the area. In fact, high tempera-tures may approach record levels today. You should also notice the humidity gradually creeping up, but given the recent dry spell it should not become too soupy.

Thereafter, a cold front will swing through on Friday ushering in some rain and a much more seasonably cool air mass. The colder nights will help bright-en up the foliage in northern New England as we head toward peak color in early October. Peak color will come and go quickly, so if you’re planning a trip to see the fall colors, I recommend taking your trip by the middle of October.

extended ForecastToday: Sunny, breezy, and hot. high 89°F (3�°C).Tonight: Clear and mild. Low 67°F (19°C).Tomorrow: Sunny, breezy, and hot. high 90°F (3�°C).Tomorrow night: Increasing clouds and mild. Low 68°F (�0°C).Thursday: Mostly cloudy and humid with a chance of showers and thunder-storms late in the day. high 79°F (�6°C).

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Compiled by MIT

Meteorology Staff

and The Tech

Other Symbols

September 25, 2007 The Tech Page �World & NatioN

DEA Cracks Down on Steroids, Growth Hormones From China

Myanmar Govt. Warns Protesting Monks of Possible Military ActionBy Seth MydansThe New York Times

BANGKOK, ThAilANd

As protesters filled the streets of Myanmar’s cities in greater num-bers than ever on Monday, swelling the crowds in the country’s largest city to an estimated 100,000, the government issued its first warning that it might take action against pro-testing Buddhist monks.

The minister of religious affairs for the military junta told religious leaders that if they did not move to restrain the monks who are at the heart of the protests, the govern-ment would take unspecified action against them.

The warning came as protesters pushed their month-old confronta-tion with the military government toward an unpredictable and possi-bly dangerous outcome.

in the main city, Yangon, the Buddhist monks who have led the protests for the past week were out-numbered by civilians, including prominent political dissidents and well-known cultural figures.

A crowd estimated by The As-sociated Press to be as large as

100,000 set out in the morning from the gold-spired Shwedagon Pagoda and marched unopposed in separate columns through the city.

As they have in past days, some monks carried their begging bowls upside down, in a symbol of their refusal to receive alms from mem-bers of the military.

Other protests were reported in Mandalay, Sittwe and Bago. Monks and their supporters have marched in other cities as well in recent days.

The government continued to re-main silent and mostly out of sight, giving the streets over to the protest-ers with virtually no uniformed se-curity presence in evidence.

For all the energy and jubilation of the crowds, the country former-ly known as Burma seemed to be holding its breath. As the demon-strations expanded from political dissidents a month ago to Buddhist monks last week to the broad cross-section of the public that filled the streets today, the government’s op-tions seemed to be narrowing.

The demonstrations proceeded under the shadow of the last major

nationwide convulsion, in 1988, when even larger pro-democracy protests were crushed by the mili-tary at the cost of some �,000 lives.

“We are in uncharted territory,” said the British ambassador to Myanmar, Mark Canning, speaking by telephone from Yangon after ob-serving the crowds on Monday.

“These demonstrations seem to be steadily picking up momentum,” he said. “They are widely spread geographically. They are quite well organized, they are stimulated by genuine economic hardship and they are being done in a peaceful but very effective fashion.”

One possible outcome is that the demonstrations could simply run out of steam. But their rapid growth and the pent-up grievances that are driving them make that seem un-likely. With each day, the size of the crowds seems to attract even more participants.

Another possibility is the open-ing of some form of compromise or dialogue between the government and its opponents. But that is an option the country’s military rulers have never embraced.

Suicide Bomber Kills 16, Wounds 28 During Iraqi Reconciliation MeetingBy Andrew E. KramerThe New York Times

BAGhdAd

A suicide bomber blew himself up Monday at a banquet intended to be a reconciliation feast between provincial officials and former Sunni insurgents in diyala province, killing 16 people and wounding at least 28.

Among the wounded were the provincial governor, the regional po-lice chief and the local military com-mander, local police officials said. At least one former insurgent leader was killed, they said.

The gathering was of the type that is a cornerstone of American plans to reconcile former insurgents with the iraqi government and enlist their help in fighting Sunni extremist groups. The strategy has produced security gains in Sunni areas in west-ern iraq, and the military is trying to repeat that success in places like diyala, a mixed area of Sunnis and Shiites north of Baghdad.

The American military confirmed that American officers had attended the meeting, held at a Shiite mosque in an outlying district of Baqouba,

the provincial capital. A military statement confirmed that soldiers had been attacked by a suicide bomber, but gave no details about any wound-ed or dead among the Americans.

“There are an unknown number of casualties, and the incident re-mains under investigation,” a state-ment from the military said.

The bombing was the second aimed at leaders of the so-called Sunni awakening this month. On Sept. 1�, a suicide bomber killed Ab-dul-Sattar Abu Risha, the Sunni trib-al leader who unified several tribes to fight Sunni extremists in Anbar province, in western iraq. Abu Risha was killed 10 days after meeting with President Bush at a military base in Anbar.

The reconciliation banquet had been arranged to break the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. The suicide bomber detonated him-self at the entrance to the mosque, where he was stopped by guards as the group was having tea in the yard.

“i saw a young man in his �0s running toward the front gate of the mosque,” a police officer said in a

telephone interview. “he wanted to reach the governor, but the guards stopped him. he immediately ex-ploded himself.”

“The explosion was huge,” an-other police officer at the site said. “it says that al-Qaida is still alive in Baqouba.” he was referring to al-Qaida in Mesopotamia, a home-grown jihadist group that American intelligence agencies believe is for-eign-led.

Among the dead Monday was hajji Najim, a former leader of the 1920s Revolutionary Brigade, an insurgent group named after an up-rising in that year against the Brit-ish occupation of iraq. it is one of the Sunni extremist groups that had battled American forces but now ap-pear to have stopped.

diyala province is strategically important for the United States be-cause it is a transit point for Sunni extremists moving from predomi-nantly Sunni regions in northwest-ern iraq into Baghdad. Violence has surged again in the area after a brief hiatus during an American offensive in July.

U.S. and Europe Would Support Kosovo Independence

By Judy DempseyThe New York Times BERliN

The United States and most of the European Union will recognize Kosovo if the Balkan province declares independence from Serbia in early december, when last-ditch negotiations end, United States and European officials said Monday.

The officials spoke as Serbian and Kosovo Albanian diplomats pre-pared to sit down this week at the United Nations for talks billed as part of a final effort to get agreement on the issue of Kosovo’s inde-pendence. its future status has fueled a confrontation between the West and Russia, which has threatened to veto any Security Council resolu-tion approving independence for Kosovo.

“The game plan is set,” said a senior European diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the matter. “The talks end on dec. 10. if there is no sense then that Serbia and Kosovo can agree on the province’s future, then Kosovo will make a unilateral declaration of independence,” he said, adding that “the U.S. will recognize that independence and the Europeans, as far as they can remain united, will follow too.”

On Monday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an inter-view with Reuters: “There’s going to be an independent Kosovo. it’s the only solution that is potentially stabilizing for the Balkans rather than destabilizing for the Balkans.”

Outsourcing Comes Full Circle As Indian Firms Export Jobs

By Anand GiridharadasThe New York Times MYSORE, iNdiA

Thousands of indians report to infosys Technologies’ campus here to learn the finer points of programming. lately, though, packs of fair-skinned foreigners have been roaming the manicured lawns too. Many of them are recent American college graduates, and some have even turned down job offers from coveted employers like Google. instead, they accepted a novel assignment from infosys, the indian technology giant: fly here for six months of training, then return home to work in the company’s American back offices.

india is outsourcing outsourcing.One of the constants of the global economy has been companies

moving their tasks — and jobs — to india. But rising wages here, a stronger currency, a demand for workers who speak languages other than English, and competition from countries looking to emulate in-dia’s success as a back office — including China, Morocco and Mexico — are challenging that model.

Many executives here acknowledge that outsourcing, having rained most heavily on india, will increasingly sprinkle tasks around the globe. Or, as Ashok Vemuri, an infosys senior vice president, put it, the future of outsourcing is “to take the work from any part of the world and do it in any part of the world.”

To fight on the shifting terrain, and to beat back their emerging ri-vals, leading indian companies are hiring workers and opening offices in developing countries themselves, before their clients do.

Secretary-General Call for Action On Climate Change

By Warren HogeThe New York Times UNiTEd NATiONS

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened a meeting of world leaders on climate change here Monday stating that the scientific evidence of its global impact was sound and that the moment to act was now.

“Today, the time for doubt has passed,” he told delegates in the packed U.N. General Assembly hall.

Saying that “the scientists have very clearly outlined the severity of the problem,” Ban said their message was that the world knew enough to act, that failure to act would bring “devastating” consequences and that affordable technologies exist to start addressing the problem promptly.

“inaction now will prove the costliest action of all in the long term,” he said.

The one-day debate on climate change, with more than 150 nations participating, was organized by Ban to prepare the ground for starting negotiations on an agreement to succeed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the international accord that limits the emissions of greenhouse gases.

More than 80 heads of state and government are expected to attend this week’s opening of the 62nd General Assembly session, which has adopted climate change as its central theme.

The United States rejected the Kyoto conclusions, and President Bush is not participating in the day’s meeting. instead, he is coming to New York only this evening for a dinner of major national leaders hosted by Ban.

One More Inch of the Earth to Be Covered in Advertising

By Eric PfannerThe New York Times lONdON

With airlines turning seat backs, tray tables and even overhead bins into advertising platforms, looking out the window of an airplane has been one of the last ways to enjoy a marketing-free moment.

it looks as if that, too, is about to change — at least during that te-dious time on the approach to landing, between the end of the in-flight entertainment program and touchdown on the runway.

A startup called Ad-Air, based here, said Monday that it had created what it called the “first global aerial advertising network” — giant, billboard-like ads that will be visible from the air as planes approach runways.

“What an incredible marketing opportunity — all these passengers with nothing else to do, staring down at the ground below,” said Paul Jenkins, managing director of Ad-Air.

Ad-Air said it had secured regulatory and planning approval to set up ad sites near more than a dozen major airports, including london heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, denver international, los Angeles international, Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok, haneda in Tokyo and dubai international.

By Duff Wilson and Michael S. SchmidtThe New York Times

Three dozen Chinese companies sent massive quantities of steroids, human-growth hormone and other il-licit bodybuilding drugs to a sprawl-ing underground network of distribu-tors throughout the United States, authorities said in five states on Monday, proclaiming a breakthrough in the largest steroid enforcement ac-tion in U.S. history.

The operation revealed a much wider, more diffuse commerce in performance-enhancing drugs than previously known, with a lattice-work of bathroom and basement manufacturers and distributors. That contrasted with the more centralized drug network from past years tap-ping into established pharmaceutical pipelines.

A network of internet-based chemical wholesalers, anonymous e-mail services and password-pro-tected chat rooms fueled the trade, federal and state officials said.

“There is no kingpin here,” said Steve Robertson, a spokesman for the dEA in Washington. “We’re go-

ing after individual distribution cells. There’s no godfather of steroids.”

The bulk of 124 arrests — includ-ing 50 over the past week — were traffickers who bought chemicals in bulk from China, which as host of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing has been under pressure to deliver a drugs-free games. The traffickers set up labs in their own homes — nota-bly on long island — to press them into pills or cook them into injectable liquids, the drug Enforcement Ad-ministration said. Buying and selling was conducted with presumed ano-nymity on the internet.

dEA agents are compiling a computerized database of thousands of buyers of the products, which are illegal without a prescription.

No users of the drugs were identi-fied Monday, although the dEA said it was trying to establish their identi-ties and may share that information with professional sports leagues and anti-doping officials if their athletes are involved.

“They may not all be prosecuted, but we will be identifying them,” said John P. Gilbride, special agent in charge of the dEA office in New

York. “We have names. We have ad-dresses. We have thousands of names but i cannot give you an exact num-ber.”

The FBi, internal Revenue Ser-vice, U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National drug intelligence Center also worked on the two-year investigation, dubbed Operation Raw deal. in addition to the United States and China, eight other countries were involved in the investigation.

Authorities seized $6.5 million in cash, 25 vehicles, three boats, 27 pill presses and 71 weapons while executing 14� search warrants at 56 makeshift steroid labs and other lo-cations, the dEA said. Two distribu-tion rings on long island alone ac-counted for more than $1�.5 million in steroids, Gilbride said. One of the suspects, a �6-year-old Melville man arrested Sept. 12 with his mother and wife, committed suicide last week. The family’s attorney did not return calls for comment.

The investigation grew out of a similar investigation into Mexican steroid manufacturers that targeted eight companies in 2005.

Page � The Tech September 25, 2007

OpiniOn

Opinion Policyeditorials are the official opinion of The Tech. They are written

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Star A. Simpson ’10 made an honest mistake when she wore a glowing circuit board to Logan International Airport. State police responded reasonably to a perceived threat, and

they quickly determined that Simpson’s attire posed no threat at all. She was co-operative, and they were professional.

It should have ended there.But then a police representative told an eager crowd of re-

porters that “thankfully,” Simpson had cooperated and “ended up in a cell as opposed to the morgue.” The Suffolk County dis-trict attorney pressed charges of possessing a hoax device. Na-tional news reports displayed a recklessly sensationalistic dis-regard for the truth by using phrases like “fake bomb strapped to her chest.” MIT — which should be acting to help its student — was curiously quiet, releasing only a statement that “[a]s re-ported to us by the authorities, Simpson’s actions were reckless and understandably created alarm at the airport.”

Instead, the Institute should make the facts of the case clear — that Simpson and the device were harmless — and the district attorney’s office should drop the charges against Simpson.

Simpson made a mistake when she picked her airport at-tire, a sweatshirt with a breadboard on the front. Attached to the breadboard were a few green light-emitting diodes in the shape of a star, plus a battery to power them. Because her name is Star, this outfit made a unique and memorable name tag for Thursday’s Career Fair. But most people at Logan Airport have not taken 6.002 (Circuits and Electronics), and Simpson’s de-

vice made them uncomfortable. It is not clear whether she real-ized they thought her shirt was a bomb, but it is certainly clear that she did not intend to scare anyone.

Simpson faces a five-year prison sentence if prosecutors prove that Simpson’s sweatshirt made people reasonably be-lieve it was a bomb, and if they also prove that she wore it in order to scare people. Assistant District Attorney Wayne Mar-golis should realize that the latter half of this charge — intent — is clearly missing and should drop the case.

Whether or not the Suffolk County District Attorney’s of-fice chooses to continue its case against Simpson, the Insti-tute should support her. MIT administrators are in a unique position of authority to tell the police and district attorney, the press, and the general public that the device posed no possible danger, and that, for people here, carrying breadboards, LEDs, wire, and batteries is hardly unusual. By remaining silent and unsupportive, MIT risks losing the good will (and the dollars) of its technically inclined alumni and future alumni. Worse, if MIT gains a reputation for prioritizing its image over its stu-dents’ well-being, talented prospective students will be turned off by the Institute.

Tech Talk, MIT’s press publication, regularly features stu-dents’ electronic inventions but hardly ever mentions the nega-tive consequences of those inventions. MIT should exercise a mature approach to public relations by accepting its whole im-age: when students’ innocuous innovations get them in trouble, MIT must help defuse the conflict.

Angeline Wang has recused herself from this editorial.

Simpson Lacked Common Sense

I applaud MIT’s decision to label Ms. Simpson’s actions as “reckless.” Any state-ment in her defense by MIT would have been viewed as arrogant and irresponsible. The circuit board worn on her shirt with LEDs in the shape of a star may be viewed as a cute, quirky means of self expression on MIT’s campus. However, the same item worn to Logan International Airport is a much more serious matter. Sadly, in this post-9/11 world, she is fortunate that she was not seriously injured or killed by law enforcement officers misinterpreting her “art.” To assume that the general public and law enforcement can accurately determine whether such electronic devices have any intent to harm is unrealistic and dangerous. I am certain many other MIT alumni share my appreciation for Ms. Simpson’s zeal for creative self-expression, while at the same time shake our heads in pity for her lack of common sense.

Jin Park ’96

Airport Security Bigger Threat Than Simpson

I find reports on the incident at Logan Air-port very disturbing especially in view of the fact that electronic circuit board art is actu-ally sold as clothing accessories across the country and even at San Jose Airport. Given this current situation, an item of art you le-gally buy in the airport terminal in California may get you killed on arrival at the Boston airport. In this age of fear, we need better consistency throughout the country especial-ly from those holding the power to use lethal force. It is particularly disturbing when one

considers how close the situation came to be-coming lethal. A similar incident happened in Washington, D.C. about two years ago where officials pounced on a Chinese man outside the Union Station and detonated his luggage to “neutralize” his Walkman CD.

Personally I was once refused check-in at the Dakha Airport in Bangladesh for attempt-ing to hand carry a removable DEC harddisk as the officials were certain it was a land mine. At least there, I did not have to stare down the barrels of a SWAT team while someone de-termined whether it was a danger or not, or have someone blow my data to bits in order to feel safe.

Robert P. Batzinger ’75

MIT Should Support Simpson

I am really disappointed by Chancellor Clay’s statement regarding Star Simpson’s incident at Logan. The term “reckless” im-plies that Ms. Simpson was aware of how the combination of the objects allegedly in her possession would be perceived by the se-curity at Logan, but acted in total disregard nonetheless. From all I have read in the press in the last two days, there is not a shred of evidence that Ms. Simpson possessed such a state of mind at the time. At this time, it appears that Ms. Simpson will be charged with a felony carrying serious criminal pen-alties. For MIT to issue such a statement to a community from which the jury hearing this charge would be drawn can only be described as “reckless.” MIT’s statement will seriously compromise Ms. Simpson’s chance to a fair trial.

Couldn’t MIT have said “MIT is cooper-ating with the authorities in every possible way. We do not think it appropriate for MIT to comment on an ongoing criminal investi-gation”?

Edward C. Kwok ’80

Being Rational About Simpson

9/11 showed us that air security people had been lax about hijacking, so a fully fueled air-plane could be used to start a large, deadly fire. The appropriate response was to strengthen cockpit doors. The political response was to launch eavesdropping, and profiling, and ex-tra-judicial detention, and to prevent small amounts of liquid from being brought on board. Note that the concern shifted from the use of an airplane as a bomb to the simple destruction of an airplane after the near-impossible manufac-ture of explosives (while ignoring the greatest threat to an airplane: checked luggage).

If a person actually has a bomb in an air-port, the aim should be to prevent them from getting into a plane and taking off. But isn’t that the role of the security gates? Simpson was confronted with machine guns, for wearing a printed circuit board while wandering around the concourse. I think that was an irrational and fear-mongering move by security staff who don’t need those weapons in the first place.

I also wonder if such a circuit board could genuinely be mistaken for a bomb. If not, the gun-toting security staff are dangerously un-der trained. (Not to mention paranoid. Wear-ing something in the open should be less of a concern than something in a briefcase, which of course they don’t confront!) And it would call into question the inappropriate word “hoax” in many news reports.

Bin Laden achieved the terrorist’s goal of having us live in fear and act irrationally against our own interests. But that is only because we are willing participants in that game. Eventually, rationality must prevail, and I hope the MIT community will be in the forefront of that awakening — not fall in line with the childish thinking that views a piece of art as a deadly threat. In fact, I hope more students will wear electronic art in public!

Jim Papadopoulos ’79

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Editorial

September 25, 2007 The Tech Page 5OpiniOn

Sarah F. Ackley

I am a senior studying physics living at Se-nior House. I am writing you out of concern about the incident involving MIT sophomore Star A. Simpson ’10 at Logan airport on Fri-day. While I do not know Star personally, I do share the concerns of her friends and acquain-tances here at Senior House — namely, that MIT has chosen not to be explicitly support-ive of her at this time.

Despite the fact that many of the news reports are calling the circuit board an in-tentional “hoax device,” it is clear to me that

Star’s intentions were entirely benign. Star’s own statement that the device was an artistic name tag for Career Fair and her complete co-operation with the authorities indicate that she had no intent of causing any trouble — she was simply going to the airport to meet her boyfriend.

I am appalled that MIT has failed to give Star its full support in this matter. The MIT News Office’s press release which stated “Ms. Simpson’s actions were reckless and understandably created alarm at the airport” is entirely misguided in its approach. Regard-less of whether her actions were reasonable, naive, or even “reckless,” as the News Office

put it, MIT has an obligation to its students — an obligation to give its students a high quality education, which includes helping students handle matters that might interfere with receiving such an education. Star is an upstanding member of the community and deserves MIT’s complete support in this mat-ter, especially since this situation is a result of misunderstanding and not criminal intent. Particularly when all the facts were not in, it would have been prudent to gather informa-tion about the situation and talk directly to Star before issuing an unsupportive state-ment.

The notion that a small exposed circuit

board and a handful of Play-Dou warrants deadly force is foolish given the thousands of large computer circuits which pass through airport security every day. Surely, MIT cannot be condoning the use of deadly force against an MIT student whose behavior may have been a bit eccentric but had no characteristics that were aggressive or dangerous.

I urge you to direct your public relations officials to alter the MIT position and take a strong stance of civility and rationality sup-porting Star Simpson. I urge you, as a highly respected leader, to support Star Simpson publicly so that you may regain the support of the MIT student body.

Open Letter to President Hockfield

Page � The Tech September 25, 2007

September 25, 2007 The Tech Page 7

Campus Life

By Charles LinStaff ColumniSt

The 24-hour day is so overrated. I don’t know about you, but I can’t get anything done in 24 hours. Usually by the time I’ve put on pants, half the day is gone. How am I ever go-ing to get a PhD at this rate?

But hey, who says I have to stick to this com-pletely arbitrary notion of a “day”? Just because the Earth revolves once in 24 hours doesn’t mean I have to follow it around meekly. There are two kinds of people in this world: sheep and sharks. Sheep wake up every morning and eat grass. Sharks sleep and swim at the same time. They also have rows and rows of regenerating razor sharp teeth. I know who I want to be.

This is why I’ve been considering better ways to divvy up my lucid/snoozing time. And since most of the people I know around here look like they could use more rest, I thought I’d share some of my insights into alternative sleep patterns.

Having thought about this thoroughly in place of studying, I’ve decided that my optimal sleep strategy would be a 30-hour day. I’d stay up for 20 hours and then sleep for 10. Imagine how much you could accomplish in 20 wakeful hours! You could put on pants AND get things done!

In my case, I’d never wake up tired because regardless of how long I’d been up, about 10

hours of sleep completely recharges the bat-teries. No more tired Chaz means no more grumpy Chaz.

Here’s how it would work. With 30-hour days the regular work week turns into 4 extend-ed days. Some days you’re nocturnal, other days you’re an early bird. You get to see two sunrises and sleep through all of humpday, which is a big bonus. Granted, if you try this, you’ll miss half of your classes and meetings, but so what? You were going to skip them anyway. At least now you get some variety, and variety is good.

And the best part is, late on Thursday night, when all the sheep are out partying and blowing off steam from a hellish week, you can wake up fresh and totally be the life of the party. Not looking worn and haggard will give you seri-ous leverage with the opposite sex, provided that you showered.

But what’s that you say? You’re still spend-ing two-thirds of your time asleep in a 30-hour day? You’ll never get that pset done? Well, have you ever heard of polyphasic sleep? It’s a highly touted sleep strategy where you take brief naps every two to three hours. Apparently when you sleep, you spend very little time actually dream-ing. And since dreams are where I’m a Viking, they’re very important for regeneration. Lab rats that aren’t allowed to dream go crazy and die within a few weeks. It’s something about

all work and no play making them dull rodents. And as far as I’m concerned any time when I’m not dreaming or awake is wasted time. If I can’t remember it, then I didn’t enjoy it.

Actually, I’m going to retract that last state-ment.

So as a polyphasic sleeper, you’re sleeping in little chunks and spending less time in deep sleep. This means more time dreaming about getting into Hogwarts (get over it, Gryffindor’s full, you’re gonna get Hufflepuffed). More dreaming can have a big boost on your creativ-ity. Many prolific poets have advocated poly-phasic sleep, including Lord Byron and P. Did-dy. Perhaps polyphasic sleep was responsible for such probing and inquisitive lyrics as, “So you want to be a baller? Shot-caller? Who be dippin’ in the Benz wit da spoilers?”

Others have praised polyphasic sleep for allowing a more productive and energetic ex-istence, but I see some other potential ben-efits. For starters you’ll never have to watch a Michael Bay movie in its entirety ever again. You’ll never have to feel guilty about sleeping

through class. And even better, being a poly-phasic sleeper is also a great excuse to get out of anything. It’s like the new vegetarianism! Any time you’d rather be napping, you can be!

Best of all, sleeping in short batches really minimizes awkward post-hookup sleepy time. It’s not your fault you have to get up and leave at 1:30 a.m.; you’re a fitter, healthier, and more productive human being! Why should you have to cuddle? You don’t need that!

If polyphasic sleep sounds like fun, then get into it! (A little note of caution: I hear it takes two hellish weeks of no sleep to get into this routine. Perfect for finals!) There are even Google groups dedicated to polyphasic sleep where they have periodic get-togethers.

I imagine these meetings are basically like nap time, which was always my favorite part of high school.

But if it’s not your bag and you’re still liv-ing a hellish existence of too much work and too little sleep, well don’t worry: another sui-cide prevention day is always just around the corner.

By Michael T. LinMIT has one of the most notoriously rich

campus cultures in the ’verse. I still have a photo from Campus Preview Weekend of a Ghostbuster standing at the Massachusetts Ave. crosswalk as proof of the fact. The unfortunate side effect? An onslaught of incoming freshmen who are under the impression that the MIT of lore and the MIT of daily life are one and the same.

In the time it takes them to realize how false that is, the collected tales of their various faux pas and missteps could probably fill a volume the size of the latest How to Get around mit. Make no mistake, we have plenty of good reasons to be en-thused about this place, but after all, just because we live at the Institvte doesn’t mean we can’t spell it “Institute” from time to time.

The other day, just before taking a chemistry quiz, I seriously contemplated asking whether it

was acceptable to give a value for wavelength in Smoots. Thinking back, to ask would have been pointless, because at the time, I couldn’t even re-member how long a Smoot was (1.7E9 nanome-ters). That I thought about asking such a question, for no other purpose than to illustrate my loyalty

to MIT, made it immedi-ately evident that I have a problem: an unhealth-ily enthusiastic addiction to the MIT culture.

Fellow sufferers of culture-holism, as I’ve oh-so-creatively named my affliction, will un-derstand just the kind of

ostracization that this epidemic can cause if left unchecked. The symptoms are manifold but easy to recognize:

¶ You discuss your favorite hacks with people who neither know you nor care to, and you smirk with pride as if you’d perpetrated the hack your-self.

¶ You repeatedly declare your deep personal

vendetta against Caltech/Stanford/Harvard, yet are surprised when said declaration fails to make you instantly popular.

¶ You force all of your friends to watch “Good Will Hunting” and pause whenever Killian Court appears on screen just so everyone you know can bask in the MIT aura whether they want to or not.

I think that freshmen under the influence of culture-holism need a support group, if only to have other people to talk to about MIT culture who won’t resort to violence to silence them. Ideally, Culture-holics Anonymous will help the freshman class temper their enthusiasm in 12 easy steps (Step 5: stop incorporating IHTFPs into everyday conversation). Hopefully, plans to name their first-born children “Tim” will die down before the culture-holics evolve the ability to procreate.

Culture-holics, if you seek support and heal-ing, meet me on the Great Dome at 1:17 a.m. Bring donuts, your “Friends don’t let friends go to Harvard” T-shirts, and boffing sticks if you have them. First thing on the agenda is a movie. Three guesses what it is.

I am normally dizzy with elation following free giveaways. The feeling of possessing some-thing I did not have to pay for is so overwhelming that I usually end up with an afternoon headache. Unfortunately, the souvenirs from the recent MIT Community Picnic left me with no warm, fuzzy feelings. I was appalled by the environmentally destructive yellow tuckus cushions.

I pay over $50,000 a year to come to a school that prides itself on environmental responsibility. Why were my tuition dollars used to buy large blocks of plastic and foam that will be discarded after a single use? While a few may be used to fend off night wanderers from Central Square, the rest will most likely sit in dormitory storage and then wash up on beaches a thousand years from now.

What I find even more disturbing is the vast amount of resources that went into these cush-ions, only to ensure that professors’ bums don’t get wet in Killian Court. They can sit on the grass like the rest of us.

Why not take the money spent on pollutants and low-quality sandwiches and subsi-dize textbooks?

—Sarah C. Proehl ’09

the following letter was sent to “Rants & Raves” in response to the Sept. 11, 2007 rant about elevator usage.

Clara:I hope you noticed the irony in your

article. You were lazily (by your own admission of guilt) taking the elevator to the third floor with no outward ap-pearance of being physically able to do so otherwise. I don’t really know why I feel like pointing this out except that I suppress the same thoughts. I discov-ered that just because a person is slowly walking down the Infinite Corridor in the prime of health does not mean that that morning they did not run six miles. Or that just because someone was run-ning up a hill at the speed of a snail when I could sprint it after running 2.5 miles doesn’t mean that they did not run further.

Just some thoughts and a quote: “Just because you think you know where a person is going, doesn’t mean you know where they are coming from.”

Peace and Love,Andrew D. Jones III ’10

if you want to rant or rave, e-mail cl@the-tech.mit.edu.

Squid vs. WhaleShopping for a New Sleep Schedule

Drunk With CultureSigns You’ve Had Too Much & Raves

Rants

Having thought about this thoroughly in place of studying, I’ve decided that my optimal

sleep strategy would be a 30-hour day.

Just because we live at the Institvte doesn’t mean we can’t spell it “Institute” from

time to time.

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Campus Life

September 25, 2007

Page �

Moons of Uranus by Juan Pablo Mendieta

Dilbert®� by�Scott�Adams

Doonesbury continued on page 10. Dilbert continued on page 10.

September 25, 2007 The Tech Page �

Mad Science by Scott Berdahl

OVNI by Roxana Safipour

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that each column, row, and 3 by 3 grid contains exactly one of each of the digits 1 through 9.Solution on page 21.

Solution, tips, and computer program at http://www.sudoku.com

Cro

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pag

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ACROSS 1Perplexingpuzzle 7Poeticfeet15“TheHundred

Secret__”16Liberiancapital17Statelydances18Individual’s

linguisticsystem19Rawmineral20Songsfortwo22Wayinthesky?23Notingoodtaste25Resentful26Decidedbeyond

dispute27Thinslicesof

bacon28Notinport29Expunges31TimothyLeary’s

drug32Scratcheddeeply

34Stocky,short-leggedhorse

37RoyRogers’dog38Except39Woman’sdo42Perennialswith

purplish-whiteflowers

45Finally46Roman

magistrates47__-on-Trent48Woodsy49Schoolorpaid

starter50Likebeetsand

potatoes52Isotopeofthorium54Devitalize55Co-founderof

“TheTatler”56Lastcourses57Soccershot

DOWN 1Advocacy 2Stateofclose

proximity 3Committedcapital 4Federalcentral

mgt.agcy. 5Geneticspioneer

Gregor 6Takeastrue

withoutproof 7Friendship 8Assentssilently 9SingerDiFranco10Madeapledge11Crudelychipped

flints12Gracefullyslender13Typeoftape14Woodlanddeities21Advancedin

years24SeventhGreek

letter25Morallylow27Birdsofprey30“Norma__”32Beusefulto33Coagulate34Covered,asa

four-poster35Usevetopower36Steelproducing

process37Labvessels38CommandtoFido39Glued40Bringintoaccord41Orbs43Dissolute44Mescal46Sitsforapicture48Objectofsarcasm

orridicule51Shellpropeller53PBSbenefactor

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Dilbert®� by�Scott�AdamsDoonesbury continued from page 8. Dilbert continued from page 8..

September 25, 2007 The Tech Page 11

Page 12 The Tech September 25, 2007

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September 25, 2007 The Tech Page 13

Cambridge Swamped by xkcd Fans in Search of ‘Dream Girl’

On March 26, 2007 xkcd Web comic creator, Ran-dall Monroe, posted “Dream Girl,” shown below. Since then, many fans made plans to travel to the coordinates given in the comic on Sunday, Sept. 23. Lovers of xkcd filled Rev. Thomas J. Williams Park in North Cambridge, eager to discover what Monroe had planned for his fans.

(clockwise from top left)

Eilzabeth G. Lovegrove ’09 fills out part of the comic. Munroe expressed to hundreds of fans that the last frame in his comic was clearly incorrect and asked for their help to write a new ending.

Munroe signs an autograph for a loyal fan.

Over 30 fans climbed onto a giant metal-and-rope reg-ular octahedron. According to xkcd forums, the struc-ture managed to hold up to 106 people.

Water splashes (left to right) Elizabeth L. Hanson ’11, Sara L. Campbell ’10, and Monica G. Gallegos ’11.

Charles Goodwin of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute extends a tape measure to well over 10 feet in a Tape-Extending competition.

Brooke Schepp of Case Western Reserve University asks fans to sign a poster with their name and where they are from. The poster was later given to Munroe.

Photography by Ricardo Ramirez

Randall MunRoe

Page 14 The Tech September 25, 2007

By Ian Urbina and Jon HurdleThe New York Times

Dover, D.e.

The campus of Delaware State University was locked down Friday after two freshman students were shot and wounded, one seriously, when an argument that had begun at a univer-sity cafeteria resumed on the street,

the police said.The two suspects in the shoot-

ings were also students, the police said. one was taken into custody for questioning, and the other was being sought Friday night. Neither was iden-tified publicly.

University officials responded quickly to the shootings, which oc-curred just before 1 a.m. Friday near

Memorial Hall, a complex that in-cludes the gymnasium and athletic department offices.

officials alerted students of the emergency within 15 minutes and locked down most buildings. Within two hours, students and administrators said, officials at the 400-acre campus about 95 miles east of Washington had posted fliers at dorms and a message

on the campus Web site. They also telephoned campus residence halls to make sure resident advisers knew what was going on and to tell them that classes were canceled Friday.

“We learned from virginia Tech,” said a university spokesman, Carlos Holmes, referring to a massacre in April by a mentally disturbed student. Thirty-two people were shot over the

course of two hours, and virginia Tech officials were later criticized by a state panel for not having locked down the campus and alerting students more quickly.

The police said that not long before the shooting a group of 8 to 10 students left the cafeteria after an argument. When they encountered one another again at a nearby corner one of them pulled a gun and began firing.

Shalita Middleton, a 17-year-old from Washington, was shot twice in the torso, and Nathaniel Pew, 17, of Washington, was shot once in the ankle, officials in the District of Co-lumbia mayor’s office said.

It was not clear whether either victim was among those students in-volved in the original argument or were bystanders, the police said.

Ms. Middleton was taken by he-licopter to Christiana Hospital in Stanton, where she was in critical condition, and Mr. Pew was taken to Bayhealth Medical Center here, said John Wilson, the deputy chief of Kent County emergency Services.

Delaware State’s president, Allen L. Sessoms, said the shootings were “a case of our own students making really poor choices and acting incred-ibly badly.”

“These are just kids who did very, very stupid things,” Mr. Sessoms said, adding that some students at the uni-versity come from troubled neighbor-hoods where disputes may be settled violently. “They bring some of the ten-sions and some of the concerns with them when they come to this campus,” he said.

Delaware State, a historically black university, has about 3,700 stu-dents on the main campus in Dover and satellite programs in Wilmington and Georgetown.

In August, four Delaware State stu-dents, two returning and two incom-ing, were shot in Newark, N.J. Three of the students died and the fourth was seriously wounded, but those shoot-ings were not linked to the university.

DON’T SPEND NEXT SUMMER PAINTING HOUSES, BEGGING FOR SIGNATURES ON A STUPID PETITION OR GETTING LEERED AT BY YOUR BOSS.

Two Wounded in Delaware State University Shooting

September 25, 2007 The Tech Page 15

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has been used to balance the budget.This year Housing had a “pleasant

surprise” when the actual utility costs turned out to be lower than the projec-tions, Cummings said.

The surplus money was used to add on projects, such as improving kitchens and bathrooms throughout the dormitories. Housing always aims to “improve student bases,” Collins said.

Housing payments also go to-ward maintenance of the dormito-ries. “There is a significant backlog in maintenance across campus … There would be a 40 percent increase in housing rates if the entire backlog were to be addressed today,” said Cummings.

Collins added that the Institute has recognized the backlog and indepen-dently funded some projects, such as replacing the windows in Tang Residence Hall and the elevators in the Eastgate Apartments in order to “avoid burdening today’s students.”

Deciding housing rates for graduate students is a bit more complicated. Cummings said that the graduate students’ stipends need to cover the rent increases. If the rent is increased, stipends must also increase. Housing also faces the external pressure of off-cam-

pus rates. If off-campus housing is cheaper than MIT housing, gradu-ate students move off-campus, Housing receives less revenue, and the vacant rooms become rather costly. According to Cummings,

Housing has initiated policies that make it easier for graduate stu-dents to live here and to choose their rooms. Cummings said, “Keeping rooms occupied is not a simple task.”

Single Double Triple QuadDormitory 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008 2007Baker House $3,319 $3,102 $2,933 $2,741 $2,624 $2,453 $2,315 $2,164Bexley Hall $2,766 $2,585 $2,444 $2,284 $2,187 $2,044 $1,929 $1,803Burton-Conner $3,098 $2,895 $2,737 $2,558 $2,450 $2,289 $2,161 $2,020East Campus $2,766 $2,585 $2,444 $2,284 $2,187 $2,044 $1,929 $1,803MacGregor House $3,098 $2,895 $2,737 $2,558 $2,450 $2,289 $2,161 $2,020McCormick Hall $3,319 $3,102 $2,933 $2,741 $2,624 $2,453 $2,315 $2,164New House $3,098 $2,895 $2,737 $2,558 $2,450 $2,289 $2,161 $2,020Next House $3,098 $2,895 $2,737 $2,558 $2,450 $2,289 $2,161 $2,020Random Hall $2,766 $2,585 $2,444 $2,284 $2,187 $2,044 $1,929 $1,803Senior House $3,098 $2,895 $2,737 $2,558 $2,450 $2,289 $2,161 $2,020Simmons Hall $3,319 $3,102 $2,933 $2,741 $2,624 $2,453 $2,315 $2,164

Source: MIT HouSIng offIce

The year of rent listed refers to the fiscal year. FY 2008 rates apply for the fall and spring semesters of the 2007–2008 academic year; FY 2007 rates apply for the 2006–2007 academic year.

Undergraduate Housing Rates Per Semester

House Room Type 2008 Rent 2007 RentAshdown single $634 $613

corner double $611 $590double $557 $538

Edgerton efficiency $1,128 $1,0901-bed $1,380 $1,3332-bed $926 $8953-bed $771 $7454-bed $705 $681

Green single $631 $609double $525 $508

Sidney-Pacific

efficiency $1,042 $1,0062-bed $926 $895quad $618 $5972-bed apartment $1,042 $1,006

Tang 2-bed $663 $6413-bed $705 $6814-bed $699 $675

NW30 efficiency $1,042 $1,006Eastgate 1-bed corner $1,246 $1,204

1-bed center $1,156 $1,1172-bed $1,485 $1,435

Westgate efficiency $1,004 $9701-bed $1,182 $1,1422-bed $1,334 $1,289

Source: MIT HouSIng offIce

Graduate Housing Rates Per Month

Unanticipated Budget Surplus Pays for Housing MaintenanceHousing, from Page 1

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recruitments of his tenure.Buchanan completed his un-

dergraduate degree in chemistry at DePauw University in 1938 and earned a master’s in biologi-cal chemistry at the University of Michigan in 1939. He moved to Harvard Medical School for his PhD work under A. Baird Hastings, where his research contributed to understanding the gluconeogenic pathway from lactic acid. This was one of the pioneering studies on biosynthetic pathways using isoto-pically labeled precursors, in this case, the extremely short half-life form of carbon, 11C.

After completing his PhD in 1943, he joined the faculty in physi-ological chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, ris-ing to full professor by the time he left for MIT in 1953. Buchanan was awarded a Medical Research Coun-

cil Fellowship between 1946 and 1948, which he used to work with Hugo Theorell at the Nobel Institute in Stockholm. This was a singularly successful period in Buchanan’s ca-reer, in which he gained expertise in protein and enzyme chemistry. He also met Elsa Nilsson, who would in due time become Elsa Buchanan, his wife and inseparable companion of 58 years.

Buchanan was honored in 1966 as the first John and Dorothy Wilson Professor at MIT, a chair now held by Dianne Newman of the biology department. In recognition of his ca-reer and service, MIT has endowed an annual John M. Buchanan Lec-tureship and a John M. Buchanan Medal with the inscription, “Discov-ery, Education, Inspiration, Friend-ship and Modesty.”

Buchanan is survived by his wife, Elsa, sons Steve and Peter, daugh-ters Claire and Lisa as well as many grandchildren.

Buchanan Pioneered Biochemistry Studies With Carbon Isotope

Small Ethanol Fire In Building 56

The Cambridge Fire Department responded to a laboratory fire in Building 56, the Whitaker Building, last Friday, Sept. 21. There were

no injuries and only minimal damage.John Gelinas, chief of operations at the Cam-

bridge Fire Department, said that “100 millili-ters of ethanol was spilled on a lab bench” by a researcher. A nearby Bunsen burner served as an ignition source for the alcohol. Gelinas added that the laboratory manager “spread a

fire blanket” to control the fire, but the fire extended to the floor. MIT personnel also tried to use a dry chemical fire extinguisher to control the fire. The fire alarm was then pulled at approximately 11:46 a.m.

Firefighters extinguished the fire and checked the air quality before reopening the building; the entire procedure took about 45 minutes, Gelinas said.

—Arkajit Dey

News Briefs

Buchanan, from Page 1

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September 25, 2007 The Tech Page 19

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By Robert WeismanThe BosTon GloBe

Kerberos, a 20-year-old computer security technology with MIT roots, is about to be turbocharged for the mobile Internet era.

Officials at Massachusetts In-stitute of Technology, where the Kerberos network authentication protocol was born in the 1980s, are set to launch the MIT Kerberos Con-sortium Thursday morning at the institute’s Stata Center.

The consortium will seek to ex-tend the reach of Kerberos, which is used by tens of millions of people worldwide but is little known outside the information technology field, to devices like cellphones and hand-held computers and to consumers toggling between Web sites and ap-plications on the public Internet.

“We’re certainly going to raise the profile of Kerberos among peo-ple who are thinking about how to solve security problems,” said Sam Hartman, chief technologist for the new Kerberos consortium.

Kerberos, which is named after the three-headed dog guarding the gates of Hades in Greek mythol-ogy, was originally designed by MIT researchers Cliff Neuman and Ted Tso as part of Project Athena, one of the early academic experi-

ments in distributed computing. That project, funded by IBM Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp., installed terminals across the MIT campus on which students could get access to their files and schoolwork over a network. It was one of the precursors of today’s public Internet.

The researchers fashioned the Kerberos authentication system to guard against pranksters breaking into one another’s files.

Two decades later, with the emer-gence of interconnected systems and tactics like phishing to bait computer users to part with personal data, the need for effective authentication may be greater than ever.

“There’s more money in breaking into things today, and there are more things you can break into,” said Hart-man. “Those two things are driving the security problem.”

Today, Kerberos is an open-source software application, mean-ing that its code is released without charge to all takers.

It is installed on systems ranging from Windows and Unix servers in corporate data centers to Macintosh computers in research labs to embed-ded devices like cable television mo-dems. It is both a set of instructions, known as a protocol, and a software package that prompts employees for

user names and passwords to get ac-cess to networks at businesses and organizations.

But at a time of rising concern about network hackers and proliferat-ing mobile devices, there is demand for more robust versions of Kerberos that allow not only deskbound em-ployees but also rovers such as medi-cal professionals and stock traders to conduct business securely, said Stephen Buckley, the consortium’s executive director.

Buckley said the consortium will ask its sponsors, which range from companies like Sun Microsystems Inc. and Google Inc. to schools like Stanford University and the Uni-versity of Michigan, for funding to increase the Kerberos staff, which develops new applications and sup-ports clients, to 14 from its current four employees. They have been working out of MIT’s information technology department.

Kerberos works on computer

networks alongside other authentica-tion technologies, like smart cards and password systems. Buckley said the aim of the consortium is not to compete with those other security systems for profit but to improve se-curity for all.

“What we want to do is make Kerberos the universal authentica-tion system for the world’s computer networks,” he said. “We want it to be useful, robust, and free, to interoper-ate in better ways.”

By Nate SchweberThe new York Times

LAWrENCEvILLE, N.J.

At this time of year college stu-dents on many campuses can expect to hear lectures about the dangers of binge drinking from university administrators trying to tackle the longstanding problem of under-age drinking and alcohol abuse.

But on the campus of rider Uni-versity here this fall, there is new urgency to deliver the message and get it right.

Last spring, Gary Devercelly, a rider freshman from Long Beach, Calif., died of alcohol poisoning after attending a Phi Kappa Tau fraternity party. In August a Mercer County grand jury brought indict-ments of aggravated hazing against two university administrators and three students in connection with his death. All five pleaded not guilty.

The criminal charges against the university administrators, which were dropped recently, raised new concerns about liability among col-lege officials around the country and put a spotlight on rider’s response. For the president, Mordechai ro-zanski, the response is making his school a “model in the fight to com-bat alcohol abuse on campus.”

Even before classes began, the school’s 3,700 students were learn-ing about the school’s tougher stance. Alcohol has been banned on campus, with the exception of certain areas like a pub in the stu-dent union. Freshmen must take a seminar on the dangers of drinking. So-called watchdogs now reside in fraternity and sorority houses. There are new penalties for those who break the rules.

Previously, students were given up to two warnings for alcohol pos-session or intoxication before their parents were notified. Parents now will be notified immediately, and students will be required to com-plete an alcohol education program or face expulsion.

Studens who were interviewed on campus said they were keenly aware of changes in the university’s alcohol policy. Freshmen described sitting through a 90-minute lec-ture on the dangers of alcohol and agreeing in writing to make good decisions.

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MIT Kerberos Consortium Plans Software Upgrade

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Page 22 The Tech September 25, 2007

device, according to a press release provided by Wark.

Simpson had five to six ounces of Play-Doh in her hands, State Police Maj. Scott Pare said in a press con-ference Friday morning before the arraignment. The Play-Doh, or putty, may have been mistaken for plastic explosives. The putty was a “very small amount in the shape of a rose,” Simpson’s current attorney Tom Dw-yer said yesterday. Simpson intended to give the rose to her boyfriend, Dw-yer said.

Wark said that there was no men-tion of the putty in the police reports used to file the charges.

Simpson was confronted at a traf-fic island outside Terminal C by state troopers with MP5 submachine guns, and she was arrested at approximately 8 a.m., Pare said during the confer-ence. “I’m shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport at this time,” Pare said. “We’re currently under [avia-tion threat level] Orange. The threat is there against aviation. We did have MP5 officers respond to the scene im-mediately.” State police determined that the device was not a bomb after her arrest.

“She followed instructions as was required by the state police and within minutes [Explosive Ordinance Disposal] unit found that it was an innocuous device and we took her

into custody,” Pare said at the press conference. “Thankfully, because she followed instructions as was required, she ended up in a cell as opposed to the morgue. Had she not followed instructions, deadly force may have been used.”

The device consisted of a white breadboard — similar to those con-tained in 6.002 (Circuits and Elec-tronics) laboratory kits — and LEDs wired to a 9-volt battery. Simpson wore it over a black hooded sweat-shirt, which was also displayed at the press conference Friday morning.

At Simpson’s arraignment on Friday, Margolis asked for a $5,000 cash bail. Margolis said the high bail amount was requested because Simpson had provided an address in Hawaii, not a local address; she had refused to answer questions at the information desk in Logan Airport; and she showed “a total disregard to understand the context of the situa-tion she’s in, which is an airport post-9/11.” Simpson is from Hawaii.

Schreiber, representing Simpson at her arraignment, said that the bail amount was “completely unreason-able,” telling the court that Simpson is a 19-year-old sophomore at MIT majoring in Course VI (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science). Schreiber said that there was no evi-dence Simpson acted in a suspicious manner or that she ever pretended the circuit board was anything but art.

Schreiber added that Simpson is

the secretary of the MIT Electron-ics Research Society, was a National Merit Semi Finalist and captain of her high school robotics team, and was at the airport for legitimate reasons. Tim Anderson, Simpson’s boyfriend, con-firmed to The Tech that he arrived at the airport Friday morning. Anderson was on a Continental Airlines con-necting flight from Oakland, Calif.

Schreiber said Simpson and An-derson are “not the type of people who go around seeking trouble.” He also added that Simpson is “doing very well” at MIT.

Bail was set by Judge Paul Ma-hony at $750. As part of her release agreement, Simpson must stay away from Logan Airport between now and her pre-trial hearing on Oct. 29, 2007.

Last January, the Boston Police shut down sections of roads and bridges in response to LED signs advertising the “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” movie. A few of the signs, which depicted Mooninite characters from the movie, were destroyed by bomb squads.

Prosecutors must prove ‘intent’Simpson was charged under Chap-

ter 266 of Massachusetts law, Dwyer said. The law requires that prosecutors prove Simpson transported a “hoax device or hoax substance with the in-tent to cause anxiety, unrest, fear or personal discomfort to any person or group of persons.” (For full text of the

Massachusetts law, see page 22.)Dwyer said that he firmly believes

there is no evidence to support intent to cause anxiety and that “there is not a crime here.” “It’s not a crime in Massachusetts to exercise bad judg-ment,” Dwyer said.

Dwyer said he expects the case to be dismissed by the end of October.

The charge was sought by the state troopers assigned to Logan Air-port, Wark said. “This is not the type of offense in which you can compare it to the average case,” Wark said. “Frankly, it’s rare that this charge is brought.”

Simpson faces up to five years in a state prison, up to two-and-a-half years in a house of correction, or up to a $5,000 fine.

MIT releases statementMIT is cooperating with the state

police in the investigation, according to a statement released by the MIT News Office Friday afternoon. “As reported to us by authorities, Ms. Simpson’s actions were reckless and understandably created alarm at the airport,” the statement continues. (For full text of the MIT statement, see page 20.)

MIT’s characterization of Simp-son’s actions as “reckless” prompted some outrage from the community. A group of students held a protest yes-terday. The protestors also circulated a petition criticizing MIT that received 100–200 signatures.

“The statement was drafted in a consultation among colleagues who gathered to review the information we had on the incident,” MIT Chancellor Phillip L. Clay PhD ’75 said in an e-mail to The Tech Friday. “We prepared a statement after we discussed what our responsibilities are to the public regarding the incident.”

Clay said that MIT had not spo-ken with Simpson before issuing the statement.

Clay said that MIT considers Simpson’s actions to be “reckless,” because taking the reported items to an airport could reasonably be fore-seen to cause alarm. “We all have a responsibility not to cause alarm and to be mindful of security require-ments.”

MIT Police Chief John DiFava likewise said that “reckless” was “not a word that’s inappropriate.” DiFava

was the interim public safety direc-tor of Logan International Airport for two months immediately following Sept. 11, 2001.

The possibility of a suicide bomb-er “requires a significant and serious response,” DiFava said. Machine guns are “standard equipment down at Lo-gan,” said DiFava, adding that ma-chine guns are commonly seen at air-ports overseas. “There was a female party with a device wired on her body and a glob … a substance that looks like C-4, C-5, or Semtex [plastic ex-plosives]. … To have guns drawn, I don’t have a problem with that.”

DiFava said that he was not at the scene and did not want to second-guess the officers that were there. However, “we don’t know what the witness saw … what kind of a de-scription she gave the police,” DiFava said. “Eyewitnesses are notoriously inaccurate. … We don’t know the de-tails.”

“Still,” DiFava continued, “of all places, an airport; of all airports, Lo-gan. … Logan even confiscates water bottles.” The two planes that struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 depart-ed from Logan, and American Airlines Flight 63 was diverted to the airport on Dec. 21, 2001 after Richard Reid attempted to blow up the plane using explosives concealed in his shoe.

Dwyer said that he believes the police have a protocol they must fol-low and that these days there is “no opportunity for the exercise of discre-tion.” Dwyer said that prior to 9/11, he believes no arrest would have been made in this case.

Students who are arrested in Bos-ton are instructed in the student-pro-duced How to Get Around MIT guide to call the MIT Police. DiFava said that the police would help any stu-dents arrested by contacting deans and family members.

Clay said that MIT provides refer-rals to lawyers, and did so in the Simp-son case, but MIT’s General Counsel Office does not provide legal counsel to members of the community in pri-vate or criminal matters. “In general, we advise students to consult with their families and seek legal counsel,” Clay said.

Marissa Vogt, Michael McGraw-Herdeg, Austin Chu, and Nick Semen-kovich contributed to the reporting of this article.

MArISSA VoGT—THe TeCH

Star A. Simpson ’10 leaves the East Boston District Court after her arraignment the afternoon of Sept. 21, 2007 on the charge of possession of a hoax device. She was released on $750 bail.

Simpson’s Attorney Says ‘Hoax’ Conviction Unlikely

PART IV. CRIMES, PUNISHMENTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASESTITLE I. CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTSCHAPTER 266. CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTYChapter 266: Section 102A1/2. Possession, transportation, use or placement of hoax devices; penalty; law

enforcement or public safety officer exemptionSection 102A1/2. (a) Whoever possesses, transports, uses or places or causes another to knowingly or un-

knowingly possess, transport, use or place any hoax device or hoax substance with the intent to cause anxiety, unrest, fear or personal discomfort to any person or group of persons shall be punished by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than two and one-half years or by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than five years or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(b) For the purposes of this section, the term “hoax device” shall mean any device that would cause a person reasonably to believe that such device is an infernal machine. For the purposes of this section, the term “infernal machine” shall mean any device for endangering life or doing unusual damage to property, or both, by fire or explosion, whether or not contrived to ignite or explode automatically. For the purposes of this section, the words “hoax substance” shall mean any substance that would cause a person reasonably to believe that such substance is a harmful chemical or biological agent, a poison, a harmful radioactive substance or any other substance for causing serious bodily injury, endangering life or doing unusual damage to property, or both.

(c) This section shall not apply to any law enforcement or public safety officer acting in the lawful discharge of official duties.

(d) The court shall, after a conviction, conduct a hearing to ascertain the extent of costs incurred, damages and financial loss suffered by local, county or state public safety agencies and the amount of property damage caused as a result of the violation of this section. A person found guilty of violating this section shall, in all cases, upon conviction, in addition to any other punishment, be ordered to make restitution to the local, county or state government for any costs incurred, damages and financial loss sustained as a result of the commission of the offense. Restitution shall be imposed in addition to incarceration or fine; however, the court shall consider the defendant’s present and future ability to pay in its determinations regarding a fine. In determining the amount, time and method of payment of restitution, the court shall consider the financial resources of the defendant and the burden restitution will impose on the defendant.

SourCe: HTTp://www.MASS.GoV/leGIS/lAwS/MGl/266-102A.5.HTM

Massachusetts Law Concerning Hoax Devices

Simpson, from Page 1

MIT is cooperating fully with the State Police in the investigation of an incident at Logan Airport this morning involving Star Simpson, a sophomore at MIT. As reported to us by authorities, Ms. Simpson’s ac-tions were reckless and understandably created alarm at the airport.

SourCe: MIT NewS offICe

MIT Statement Regarding Logan Airport Incident — Sept. 21, 2007

September 25, 2007 The Tech Page 23

actions were reckless.”Participant Biyeun M. Buczyk

’10, said that MIT was “bending over to media” and “issued a comment that was taken as criticism when [Simp-son] really didn’t do anything wrong. … [She] did no wrong in putting on a sweatshirt.”

Matthew S. Goldstein ’09 said he was “disgusted with how [the] ad-ministration … treat[s] its students.” Goldstein said that he wanted the ad-ministration to focus on “being more supportive in the future.”

Andrew R. Drechsler ’10 said he was disappointed that MIT distanced itself from Simpson, especially when MIT prides itself on students’ in-novations. Drechsler said that the media does not have the complete background, and MIT is in the best position to change the public’s view.

Clay told The Tech that he under-stood the reasons behind protest and that “there was a disappointment or sadness that we did not protect Simpson.”

“There was a lot of reaction to our use of the word reckless … many thought that was unfair,” Clay said. He continued, “I think it was the right word based on what we knew at the time. … Trying to take perspective, we didn’t know the facts — we only knew what we saw over the line.”

Clay said that when MIT was con-tacted to verify that Simpson was a student, MIT needed to issue a state-

ment. “We had to give a sense as to whether we thought it was appropri-ate or not. If we simply said [she] is a sophomore at MIT, we would appear to be uncooperative.”

Clay did not stop to talk with pro-testers since he was scheduled to give the keynote ad-dress at the Chan-cellor’s Summit. Clay was, how-ever, presented a protest letter with approx ima te ly 100–200 signa-tures.

The letter describes MIT as trying to distance itself from community members during controversy rather than support them. The letter also states that the silence from MIT not only hurt Simpson’s reputation, but “undoubtedly hurt MIT’s reputation as well.” (For full text of the letter,

see page 23.)At the summit,

Clay’s keynote speech included references to Simp-son’s arrest and the sodium fire on the Charles River. An attendee of the summit who wish-es to remain anon-ymous said that the protest prompted some discussion

among administrators. Some admin-istrators suggested that MIT could have sent support staff to Simpson’s arraignment, the attendee said.

Yesterday afternoon, Clay pro-vided The Tech with a response to the protest letter. (For full text of Clay’s response, see page 23.)

In his response, Clay wrote that

MIT does not believe Simpson “in-tended to cause harm,” but that MIT expects students to exercise “appro-priate judgment and restraint in set-tings like airports.”

Clay told The Tech yesterday that media characterizations of Simpson,

including the Sept. 22 cover of the Boston Herald, were “unfair and un-fortunate” and that Simpson “is not a mali-cious person …

and did not mean to be disruptive.”He added that, in the future, “if a

student with a clever gizmo goes to an airport … as silly as it sounds, go up and explain it to someone.”

Asked what could be done to improve MIT handling of similar situations, Clay said that the issue was a very difficult one. “We have a community with a great deal of au-tonomy,” Clay said. “But there are some times when conflicts arise from traditions — which are good tradi-tions — or things done in the name of traditions.”

Clay specifically mentioned the hacking tradition, arguing that “some things have gone to the edge” — students who were injured fall-ing through the Building 5 skylight and down an E52 chimney. Students should “exert some self discipline,” Clay said. “We can’t address this by discipline, campus police, or preach-ing.”

“I don’t want the public to get a sense that MIT students think they are above the law,” Clay said. “That’s my great fear.”

Joyce Kwan contributed to the re-porting of this article.

What happened to “All tech men carry batteries?”We, the undersigned, are concerned about MIT’s lack of support for students during recent events, even after

the facts of a situation have become clear. Unfortunately, it seems that the Institute’s first and last reaction is to distance itself from members of its own community instead of attempting to diffuse misleading media hype. This trend is especially disturbing given that many of these students are the same ones that have been lauded for their creativity and innovation, qualities that are recognized and encouraged at MIT.

Clearly MIT is not, and should not be, under any obligation to provide legal defense for students in criminal matters; however, we believe that MIT should wait to understand a situation lest it issue a misleading comment or press release. If, for whatever reason, a misleading comment is issued, another statement should be released to correct it. Failure to take these steps can only cause falsehoods and misrepresentations to perpetuate themselves to the point where they are considered fact.

A recent example of MIT’s failure to support a member of its community occurred last Friday, on September 21st, when Star Simpson was arrested at Logan International Airport. We are particularly disturbed by the ad-ministration labeling her actions as “reckless,” without first speaking to her.

Furthermore, we now know with certainty that Star Simpson did not make a fake bomb nor did she go to Logan to perform a hoax. The idea that she acted maliciously is a gross distortion of actual events. Star built her LED nametag to stand out during MIT’s annual career fair. Facts like these are crucial in understanding what actually happened, and once MIT discovers them it is obligated to issue a clarifying statement or press release.

To clarify, we are not criticizing the police’s immediate response to what they thought was a bomb threat. In that regard, they performed their jobs exactly as they should. What we are concerned about is that MIT failed to issue a timely response to explain the situation after everything had become clear.

Failure to issue corrective comments has undoubtedly hurt MIT’s reputation as well. Every article and report begins with the words “An MIT sophomore;” the front page of the Boston Herald ran an article on Sunday, September 23rd that had an acrostic with the letters MIT spelling out “More Idiotic Tricks.” By failing to issue additional statements, MIT allows sensationalist articles like these to tarnish its reputation.

We hope that in the future the Institute is more supportive of those who are a part of its community. Everyone knows that events are often misconstrued and distorted, and as a result MIT has an obligation to the members of its community to correct any falsehoods that may arise.

Source: ProTeST organizerS

Thank you for your note regarding Star Simpson and the incident at Logan Airport. Let me first say that I regret how the matter is being characterized in the media. Many of the reports are unfair to Ms. Simpson and do not reflect the facts. We do not believe Ms. Simpson is a dangerous or malicious person or that she intended to cause harm. I appreciate how tough it is to read these stories.

That said, we do understand the sensitivity about security at airports. We expect that our students will appre-ciate that what might be acceptable in ordinary public spaces or on our campus would not be acceptable in an air-port. We further expect that this appreciation would be reflected in appropriate judgment and restraint in settings like airports where there are clear rules. We all exercise this restraint and thoughtfulness about security standards every time we go to the airport, particularly in this era after the 9/11 attacks. We rely on others to respect the standards as well. Part of the media reaction to an MIT student in this situation is that those who are “wowed” by the great things associated with MIT every day cannot understand why our students do not understand and respect airport security standards that everyone who travels respects, despite considerable inconvenience, for the safety of the greater public.

MIT has a long tradition of encouraging its students to be creative and to explore paths that others might not. Good science and good scholarship requires this. We will continue that tradition. We are also required, however, to remind students that certain public standards have to be respected lest transgressions of them be judged as reckless.

Source: cHancellor PHilliP l. clay PHD ’75

Grandmaster? Newbie? Everybody has a chance to win something.

Saturday, September 2911 AM – 4 PM2-1354 Rounds, each player will have 30 minutes to moveRegister: e-mail chess-club-reg@mit.eduwith your name and chess experience

Clay Replies to Protest Letter, Says Media Coverage Is ‘Unfair’ Protest, from Page 1

“[Simpson] did no wrong in putting on a sweatshirt.” —Biyeun M. Buczyk ’10

“There was a lot of reaction to our use of the word reckless … many

thought that was unfair.” —Chancellor Phillip L.

Clay PhD ’75

Have an important idea? Share it! � �Write to letters@the-tech.mit.edu

This space donated by The Tech

Student Protest Letter — Sept. 24, 2007

Chancellor’s Response to Protest Letter — Sept. 24, 2007

Page 24 The Tech September 25, 2007

SportS

Women’s Soccer Overpowers Lyons, EaglesLast week, the MIT women’s soccer team had two impressive performances at home. After beating Bridgewater State and Mount Holyoke, the Engineers stand at six wins and one loss. MIT is currently third in the NEWMAC standings, behind Springfield and Wheaton College. The Engineer’s next home game is today at 4 p.m. against Westfield State.

(left) Jean E. Theurer ’10 aims to score under pressure from a Bridgewater State defender midway through the second half of the Sept. 20, 2007 women’s soccer game. The Engineers overpowered the Eagles 2-1 in overtime.

(below) Amy S. Ludlum ’08 scores her third goal against Mount Holyoke midway through the second half of Saturday’s game. The Engineers blasted away the Lyons in the second half winning in a 7-0 shutout.

William Yee—The Tech andrea robles—The Tech